


Of Teeth and Thorns

by pastalord



Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, F/F, F/M, Grimdark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-29
Updated: 2013-06-29
Packaged: 2017-12-16 12:49:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/862214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastalord/pseuds/pastalord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose poured over her books, as any smart, curious young girl would; filling her mind to the brim with stories of enigmatic beasts that lived at the bottom of lakes and superficial beings beyond a human’s idea of reasoning. Most girls her age were reading books about cute boys who fell for icy girls with little personality, but Rose read books about monsters and tentacle beasts. And sometimes, if the light was right, she felt like her eyes were white and her skin was grey.<br/>Rose Lalonde and her new friend, Eridan, summon an old one. Hilarity ensues, along with new friends, road trips, beer chugging germans, and cute boys with only months to live.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Teeth and Thorns

**Author's Note:**

> here's a fanmix  
> http://8tracks.com/fanmixmaestro/of-teeth-and-thorns  
> god, it's starting off so slow.  
> next chapter will be the next day from Eridan's pov  
> oh, dear, looks like this one will be on hiatus for quite some time

The large, Carnegie building loomed in front of her as Rose’s flats hit the limestone stairs. Rose walked into the library, the cold air hitting her face like a gust of artic wind compared to the heat wave outside. It was Rose’s tradition to get a massive stack of books to read- rather, devour, over the summer, and the summer going into junior year would hopefully be no different. The elderly Liberian looked up from a stack of books and waved at Rose. She nodded accordingly and headed to the familiar section in the back, the one with the books that had covers ripped off and spines with little bits falling off and with horribly dog-eared pages. These were the books she loved the most. The tactile sensation was almost as good as reading the book itself. Rose was met with an unfamiliar sight. A young man with blonde swept back hair she had never seen was pouring over a book, his violet eyes dancing left to right. He didn’t look up as Rose picked up a large tome, the cover torn badly. Grimoire for Summoning the Zoologically Dubious was written in eccentric looking letters. She glanced over quickly at the boy reading the book and saw the familiar white and pink cover of Wizardy Herbert, a self-published book by none other than her older sister, Roxy.  
“You like Wizardy Herbert?”

The boy looked up, slightly surprised at how quiet Rose had snuck in.

“Ah, yeah, me and my brother are big fans. We had them shipped from here back home. You like them too?”

The boy’s accent was definitely not the overstretched vowels Rose was so used to. It was thick and guttural.  
“They’re…decent. I know the author very well.”

“Really, you do?”

“Well, yes, she’s my sister.”

The boy’s jaw drops, looking over at her. He shakes his head in disbelief.

“Hellige…”

“Yeah, she’s not that great. She drinks too much, but still. Are you German?”

He nodded, looking at the book.

“Dad says the air in Bremen is bad, so we came here. We were in New York a few days ago, and that’s horrible air quality.”

“New York’s a dump. Welcome to Rainbow Falls. Rose Lalonde.”

Rose extends a hand to shake and the boy takes it, shaking her hand.

“Eridan Ampora.”

Rose smiled, looking up at the tall blonde. 

“Good to meet you, Ampora. Hopefully, I'll see more of you around town. I must be off.”

Rose smirked and walked past him, bee lining to the checkout counter. The liberian looked at the massive book and smiled.

“Oh, Rose, you’ve always liked those big books, haven't you.”

Rose nodded, and handed the Liberian her card. The familiar beep sounded and Rose picked up her new tome. She thanked her and began the short walk back home. The street was quiet as Rose’s flats smacked on the ground as she hummed an old song she used to have on a record player. The song was in French. It was about having no regrets in life.

Rose neared her behemoth of a home she lived in. Her mom was probably lurking inside with her sister with a wine glass in her hand, laughing way too loudly and causing general disruption by committing a V.U.I (Vacuuming While Intoxicated). Rose walked up the familiar steps and opened the door. Her sister, Roxy, turned around, laughing at Rose.

“Ohmaigawd, Rose, come’re and watch this. It’s comedy gol’.”

A news clip of a young girl intensely typing on her keyboard was on the screen. The repetitive news music blared as the news caster explained that this girl had beaten a record for playing a video game.

“That’s incredible, Roxy,” Rose deadpanned, “Where’s mom?”

“ We got new neighbaws. Mom’s meeting them. They’re foreign lookin’ and hot.”

“ Really? I met one today, I think. Are they German?”

“I dunna. Wanna go meet ‘em?”

“Why not? Don’t forget your shoes, Rox.”

Roxy giggled and sipped her wine as she put her hair in its ‘iconic’ pigtails and lifted her wineglass up.  
“ Come an’ get us, boooois.”

Rose smiled politely at her sisters antics and opens the door, getting smacked in the face by the summer heat, as compared to the comfortable cool air of the indoors. Roxy walked on the curb, showing a surprising amount of balance as she gabbed to Rose about a new video game or how she wrote something in html or how she figured out how to do this or that. A large mansion loomed ahead. Three figures were visible from the porch and Rose quickly identified the tall, curvy figure of her mother, always with one hand on her hip and the other holding up a wine glass.

“Damn, they got a nice place, don’t they?”

“ If our ‘house was any bigger, I’d loose, like, everythiiing.”

“ I know I would. I saw one of those boys early at the library.”

“Got some goooo reads, Rose?”

“The pickings were surprisingly slim this year. I got a book that looks like it could kill a cat.”

“Omgee, look at those stairs. Let’s get riippppppeed!”

Roxy ran ahead, sure not to spill her drink as Rose also ascended, looking at the people standing around. The Ampora father was a tall, skinny blonde man in his mid-forties, no older than her mom, in a well-fitting black suit. The older Ampora brother was wearing black slacks and a dress shirt and a bowtie that must've been once was tied but was removed and draped across his neck. Roxy had already scooted over to the older brother and was playing with her hair and was attached to his arm. Rose rolled her eyes at the two, looking for the Ampora younger. 

Eridan was standing next to his dad, looking around nervously. Rose smirked and waved, going to her mother’s side.

“There you are, kid. We invited the Amporas over for dinner.”

“Mom, we haven’t gone grocery shopping in a month.”

Rose’s mom laughed and raised wine glass upwards. 

“Stoooouffers!”

Rose pinched the bridge of her nose and went over to Eridan, who was noticeably uncomfortable around all the people. He clutched an unopened beer bottle in his hands, occasionally wiping his hands on his pants. 

“You clean up nice. Do you drink? You must be well past legal German drinking age.”

“Ugh, no. Can’t stand it.”

“Good. Care to walk a lady to her house? The way my mom is wobbling must mean she’s ready to go home already.”

“S-sure.”

Eridan pops the cap off the bottle and takes a swing, keeping in pace with Rose as she struts away.

“Eridan, how comfortable are you with helping me summon Ni-ciroth, consumer of the ocean, overlord of souls, depth walker, etcetera, excreta?”

Eridan takes a bigger swig of the beer.

“You seemed like the sort of girl who would be into that, communion with that sort of stuff. I'm assuming you read Lovecraft. There’s a rule saying you can't summon them into the waking world, you know.”

“Then you are comfortable with it. Are you a virgin? I might need your blood later.”

Eridan looks at her, his eyes widened. He takes another sip of his beer.

“W-well, I’ll have you know I've seen some things in my day…"

“Then you are. Perfect.”

Eridan blushes and looks at his feet as they walk towards Rose’s house.

“Wow, I made that conversation more awkward than usual. My apologies.”

Rose opens the door to the house and the cool air rushes in to greet her. Vodka Mutini, her cat, looked up at her and followed Rose and Eridan as they climbed the stairs into Rose's room.

“Candles? Check. Grimoire, Check. Knife, Check. Dorky, virginal, German boy, double-check.”

“Rose, quit that. You've never done anything with anyone.”

“Right you are, my dear Watson. But summoning an old god is no fun when it’s just you.”

Eridan finishes his beer and looks down to see Rose arranging the candles in a circular arrangement. 

“Got a lighter?”

Eridan fishes a small, grey lighter from his pocket and drops it next to her.

“You don’t smoke, do you?”

“Ah, no, but my brother does.”

“Good. It would be a shame if you ruined that pretty voice of yours.”

“Hör auf damit!”

Rose finishes lighting the candles and sets the grimoire on the ground. She gingerly sets a small plate on top and turns around.

“ Your hand, please.” 

Eridan sets his beer down and extends a hand. Rose takes a Swiss Army knife and pokes it into Eridan’s palm. 

“Thank you for putting up with my grim ambitions, Eridan. Put pressure on it, I just need a few drops.”

Eridan winces and looks at Rose.

“You’re fuckin’ crazy, Rose.”

“Put some virgin blood in the plate, dear. Let’s get this metaphorical party started. Mom’s too drunk to care what goes on up here.”  
Rose takes Eridan’s hand and closes her eyes, reciting the words she had been rolling on her tongue all day.

“Ywaq ma phgwa'cul hnakf. Ywaq maq oou; ywaq maq ssaggh. Ywaq ma shg'fhn."

A wind extinguishes the candles as Eridan grips, no, squeezes Rose’s hand. The room’s lights flicker, then turn off.

“Rose? Ah, we have some technical difficulties.”

Eridan quickly lets go of her hand.

“Rose?”

“…what.”

“You wanna hit the lights, Rose?”

“ I will…Give me a moment.”

“Are you alright?”

“No. I need to eat something.”

Eridan scrambles up, knocking the beer bottle over. He quickly absconds the room, following the smell of pre-heated lasagna and the sound of laughter. Eridan was met with the horrible view of his brother making on Rose’s older sister. 

“Oh god, cro.”

He quickly exits the room and enters a fancy, recently remodeled kitchen with a few plates sitting out. Eridan grabs one and scoops some lasagna on the plate before hurrying upstairs to Rose’s room. The room reeked of salt water, just like when Eridan and his family went to the Baltics for vacation.

“Rose?!”

“I’m on the bed, Eridan.”

“You said you wanted something to eat.”

Eridan watches as Rose sits up, looking blankly at him. 

“You forgot the fork.”

“Shit, Rose. Are you alright?"

“No. Tell your dad you need to leave. Come back tomorrow.” 

Eridan sets the plate down on her bedside table.

“Eridan.”

“W-what?”

“ Come here. I need to show you something.”

Eridan gulps. Either Rose is going to pull a tentacle out of her skirt or they’re gonna chew on each other’s lips for a bit. Eridan sits down, next to Rose. She brushes her hair out of her face and kisses Eridan’s cheek like a real classy gal. She leans in next to his ear and Eridan swears he could almost feel her heart beat at that moment.

“There is a little lamb lost in dark woods.”

“Rose, that was really romantic and you ruined it.”


End file.
